Funk??/Writers block??

[Mike Flashner]

Hi Steve:

Some day I'll learn how the Film Industry works. several years ago I got an option on a "Treatment." I worked my ass off for three weeks trying to get the script together and they just optioned to cancell out after the option expired. No reason or rhyme was given. I did make a buck though.

Mike Flashner

[Mike Flashner]

Hi Patricia,

I glad to hear there are other writers that have the same problem as I.

Dictionaries are wonderful. Me I really need one. Trust me.
I keep a "Random House Ditionary of the English Language"
(The Unabrided Edition 1966) it's only 2059 pages long.

If some one is going to throw a book at you make sure that it is not that one. I have to use two hands just to pick it up.

"Procrastination" is a long $20.00 dollar word for "not in the mood if you are a writer. Do not worry about it. After a week read your MS over, I'll bet you'll see something you want changed. That will be a start.

Maybe it would be a good time to spell check. Who knows that may start you. (I hope you use a computer.)

Mike Flashner

[Victor Miller, Sr]

Anyone who doesn't back up his writing to disk and relies solely on the hard drive to keep their work is sawing off the branch they're sitting on. Sooner or later the whole book is going to get lost or fouled so bad it can't be retrieved. I've known that grief from an old Brother Word Processor I used to use. I accidently lost a whole days work and I was on a tight schedule with a screenplay I was going to enter in a contest. I made the mailing on time but I was beside myself after the mistake. So always back up your writing. Floppies don't cost that much.

[Patricia Cooper]

Thanks Mike for your gentle nudge back to reality.

I have about 60,000 words of my novel completed now. I have been busy doing some more research and have found that I have to change the chronology of some of the chapters to correspond with historical events (it's set in WW2). THIS is what has led me to say; "Oh no. And I was getting on so well. Now I've got to back track and make some fill-ins." So I basically have a beginning which is okay and an end which is okay and the middle has to be reworked. Not that it's a very difficult chore, just fiddly.

And yes, It is all on computer. And I have both belt and suspenders doing their job. Two backups on diskette; one deposited in my son's fireproof safe. It is also on CD. Why so much? Well for the past year I have been trucking back and forth across the pond caught up in research -- UK-Canada -- and my computer is a laptop so I have to be doubly reassured that somewhere I have a copy that is safe. Oh yes, and I've stashed a couple of hard copies in different places.

Reading this back to myself, I know I am going to be told by someone that I am somewhat paranoid. Ah well, nobody's perfect!

patC

[Patricia Cooper]

BTW Mike -- I forgot to mention the dictionaries on CD -- they don't hurt so much when you drop them on your toes.

patC

[Mike Flashner]

Hello Victor,

Welcome to the Ghost Chapter Club. I use to wonder who the hell is moving my chapter's around. I have solved the problem by saving one chapter at a time, in sequence on my 3.5" floppies.

I have two main computers. One has a 4gig hard drive, I always have at least 2.8 to 2.9 gigs left to work with.

The other has 30gig hard drive. I have a couple of more system programs on this one. I always have at least 27 to
28 Gigs left on this one to work with.

I scandisk & defrag every month. I also delete the temp files in C:\windods/temp & (DOS)C:\temp every two weeks.

If you surf the web alot you get temp files & cookies.

I make a habit never to open attachments on email.

Mike Flashner

[Mike Flashner]

Hi patC,

Thanks for the info on the CD Dictionary where can I buy one? Haven't seen any advertised on PC Ad Zines I receive.

60 K words my, my, you have been a busy girl. That's 240 pages if you use Courrier 10 point font with no graphics.
That does not include Copyright page or Contents.

How many Chapters?

When the book is printed in Times Roman you will lose some pages.

Good Luck,

Mike Flashner

[Valerie Moreau]

I always back up everything. Even though I have two computers too. one susposedly for the rest of the family and one for me, but that lasted all of about a week. It is my computer the kids get on at night. So unless I want an accident and to lose everything I spend so much time working on, I have copies of it. I also send a copy of it to a friend of mine. She helps with all the editing and stuff.

[Patricia Cooper]

Hi Mike:

The American Heritage Dictionary is on a CD Rom. I received it as a gift but I could find out from the donor where he got it. I know it is hard to find as several people have tried to find it without success. If anyone has a source I would like to hear about it.

As to the Chapters -- The book is in four parts taking in the war years from 1940 to 1945. Each part has between 15 and 20 chapters -- some are very short, some not so.

You are right about changing to Times Roman. What I like to do is take a chapter (courier ds) and then take it down to a split page landscape in Times Roman single spaced. This gives me an idea of how it will look in print. It really helps to have a visual of the potential finished product. White space, ease of transition and dialogue flow, etc. Does anyone else do this?

This is mainstream fiction. Several very objective and learned outsiders have read parts of it (no editors or book doctors) as I wanted to be sure that I was on the right track -- and all have given very positive encouragement.

So I guess I shouldn't be procrastinating. Right?

patC